Golden Sun: The Hunted
by Mikaa
Summary: Isaac and crew, aided by the mysterious Igori, seek to discover the motives of the new Emperor of the rebuilt Tolbi Empire.
1. Igori

**_Golden Sun - The Hunted_**

_By Mikaa_

_Chapter 1 - Igori

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_**Author's Note**: Wow. I SO ticked off a few people with "The Insanity," no? Wonder if Kyarorain will even speak to me now... Hopefully, this fic will represent enough of a change to get people to trust my works again. Assuming they will read anything I write, anyway, given the last thing I did..._

_So! "The Hunted!" To be blunt, it's a crappy title, but it was the most fitting that I could come up with for a chaptered work, and I am trying to keep to simpler titles these days, so as to be slightly more memorable than some of my other works (ie - War of the Heroes, to me at least, sounds like "Legend of Heroes"). Do note that the genre is Angst/Action/Adventure, so no mass-executions of characters this time around. Also be aware that the rating is tennative at PG-13, subject to be changed if I choose later to alter a few details. As per the requirements of a PG-13 rating, this fic does/will contain strong language, violence, minor sexual themes, and death and/or dying. Again, I might later choose to upgrade to "R" rating if I so choose, and will alter all prior chapters (and this paragraph) to reflect any changes._

_Also, **I DO NOT OWN GOLDEN SUN, NINTENDO, CAMELOT, AND AM NOT MAKING ANY CASH OFF OF THIS**. IT IS JUST AS WELL THAT I DO NOT MAKE MONEY OFF OF MY WORKS, AS "THE INSANITY" WOULD HAVE COST ME QUITE A BIT..._

_And now, with fourty-five minutes to Family Guy, let us begin!_

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He shook his head, bewildered at the sight before him. He had been told to not expect the once-beautiful village of Vale as it was recorded in the archives, as the Emperor himself had been quite specific as to the destruction of the mountain before him. No, what puzzled him was the scurrying of bodies trying to rebuild a town right next to a demolished mountain. Neverminding the fact that the village was so far removed from normal trade that getting supplies would be tricky, the loss of the mountain (Mt. Aleph, according to the archives) apparently caused sufficient changes in the weather to hurt the crops for food.

Fools. That was what they were; fools. No, that was not fair. Fools would be trying to complete such a task without some outside aid. These people were fellow Adepts, not unlike Igori himself. Though most were notably lacking in skill (given how much work appeared to need completing, verses how many were there), one notable face caught Igori's eye, a face that every soldier for the Tolbibi Empire knew all too well:

Isaac.

Igori reached into his brown-green cloak, pulling a small flask out and consuming a small sip. Isaac's participation in the Collosio games years ago had started a chain reaction, one that nearly helped destroy the then-decaying empire. The year after Isaac won the tournament, numerous combatants competed, but the finalists were not the average soldiers that normally won; they were Adepts, Igori amongst them. Such a fuss was started, It almost seemed that the army would try to kill off the winners.

In fact, civil war was narrowly averted with the arrival of the Emperor and his General. With the reformation of the Tolbibi Empire, the Emperor made numerous changes, the first of which was to alter the policies of the army: there was the traditional branch, the Elite, and then there were the Masters, made entirely out of winners of a seperate Collosio populated with scores of Adept participants.

Years passed as the Empire absorbed various territories, including a rather rebellious bunch near the Tolbi Lighthouse of old and a tribe of primitives in southern Gondowan. Igori had served under the General during those times, awed at his skill and power.

But then, that was years ago, when he was younger, before that damned attack that scarred him for life. His once clean, strait blonde hair was nothing more than a frazzle, his skin shriveled and wrinkled. The wench that had attacked him was some Adept calling herself Sheba, leader of an anti-Tolbibi Empire group. Igori had been lucky to live after that attack, never quite knowing if it was Sheba's wish that he be left alive, or if the (delayed) arrival of more troops forced her hand. Either way, he was never quite the same again.

Coughing and wheezing, he sipped more from his flask, then pocketed it as he began towards the rebuilding. There was no questioned as to whether or not they saw him; the fact that most of the work had ceased was enough of a sign to tell. He made his way past several villagers, sensing the tension in the air. Had he seen them use psynergy? their minds worried. Would he bring doom to our village like the other visitors of old? one seemed to say with his eyes. Igori was no Jupitarian, but it did not take much to see their faces and know what they thought of him. The fact that most seemed to reguard him as older than he looked only played into his hand. And the Emperor's mission. Who knows? They might even think him as actually an aid (as his cover was) than a soldier. His condition and wrinkled skin probably landed him this job faster than anything.

Coughing agian, he looked strait at Isaac, only giving the persons beside him a brief overlook. Isaac was notably older than the old images showed in Tolbibi, probably in his late twenties (or even thirties, who knew?). Not looking a thing like the weakling that caused such a stir at Collosio, Isaac was apparently being looked to as the leader of the town, given the fact that the rest of the town seemed to be staring at him.

Igori wheezed, but ended up breaking into a coughing fit instead. He had thought that playing on his apparently aging old man who is sick routine would benefit if he over did it a bit (after all, most old people seemed to overreact anyway, at least in Igori's view), but ended up almost choking on his own lack of breathing.

A hand grabbed him to steady him, and when Igori glanced up he nearly passed out from the sheer beauty before him. Long crimson hair, an attire that displayed her curves moreso than almost any decent being's in Tolbibi, and the face of an angel, Igori almost fainted again just by staring at Jenna.

Trying to end another bout of coughing, Igori waved his right hand, signaling that he was ok to stand on his own. Reaching for his flask again, he spoke to Isaac, "You are the warrior Isaac, I believe?"

A nice touch adding the description "warrior," Igori mused; their bemusement at his choice of wording would be helpful (and amusing). "Yes, I am. And you are...?"

"A faithful servant," he paused, a light cough that broke into another brief coughing fit, "servant to the Emperor of Tolbibi. Igori, the General's Hand." He sipped from his flask, almost wimpering at the soothing chill of the liquid. "I have come on the behest of my masters to seek your presence before the Emperor." He turned to face Jenna. "And yours as well, m'lady. The emperor wishes to thank both of you for your efforts for saving the world. And you especially, Isaac," another wheeze, "for helping our Empire."

The puzzled looks on their faces were almost too much, and Igori could only thank the Elements that he began coughing again. Shaking his head, he looked at them, pretending to offer Isaac and his assocates some privacy, but listening in.

"It has to be a trick of some kind," argued a tall, muscular red head. Garet, had to be, though he looked notably taller than the paintings indicated in the archives.

"But it might be genuine," said Jenna, earning a scoff from Garet.

"Sure it is. And I am sure you know what "TolbiBI" is, don't you?"

"Garet, remember what Kraden said? Empires tend to rename themselves after so many years. It is not exaclty odd," Isaac earned a deadly glare from his taller friend for that comment.

"So if they really want to thank us, why doesn't the old man ask me to come along as well?"

They all turned to face him, not catching Igori's brief smile at being called an "old man." "Is Garet invited as well?"

Igori pretended to ponder this, then shook his head. "I have orders to simply invite Isaac and Jenna, and to escort them to a rendevous with two other 'heroes' before moving to the Empire." He broke into another coughing fit, and almost spat up the elixer as he saw their faces at the mention of two other "heroes." Igori did not know much about these two, except that another Master was to get them from further north.

"And if you don't mind," Igori's voice was becoming hoarse, even with the elixer's help, "it is a day's walk from here to meet them, and I would like to not anger the Emperor." He paused for effect. "My wish would not be to end up like my predessor."

Their looks were one of doubt, but they obviously were willing to buy it. Amusing.

As the crowd started dissipating and Isaac and Jenna went to say good-bye to their children, Igori felt a slight twinge of guilt at their trust in him. True, he had told the truth for the most part, even his status as a servent of the Emperor. But that did not mean that he could not feel sorry, especially for the beautiful Jenna.

Twould be a pitty that the Emperor would invite them in to thank them, only to exact his revenge. Whatever it was he wanted revenge for. Not that Igori really cared; it was not like any of these people gave a damn about him.

Not thirty minutes later, they set out, Igori wishing that he knew just what the Emperor wanted with these two (or four, counting the others) anyway.

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**_End of Chapter 1_**

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_Yep, a brand new original character. And one that will play a key part. Or will he? I'm not a huge fan of OCs, but I couldn't exactly have Ivan walk up like this, could I?_

_Anywho, more plot and chapters coming your way soon, assuming that anyone is actually reading this... Feel free to review and leave your thoughts, to the two of you who are actually reading this..._

_**Mikaa, Lord of the Flypaper**_


	2. The General's Sister?

**Golden Sun: The Hunted**

_Written by **Mikaa**_

_Chapter 2 - The General's Sister?

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_**A/N** - In what has to be my trillionth time ever since I began writing and posting works online, let me state that **I DO NOT OWN THE SOURCES OF THE PRODUCT THAT I AM BASING THIS FIC ON. IN OTHER WORDS, I DO NOT OWN NINTENDO, GOLDEN SUN, CAMELOT, OR A CART OF THE FIRST GOLDEN SUN.**_

_That's right, I no longer have GS1. Why? It's called having to clean my room for a pending move, and crunching the cart under your heel. Why could I not have crushed Mario Bros. 3 or DKC GBC? (goes to cry)_

_(sob) On a happier note, The Hunted seems to be generating some positive feedback, which is always nice. Though, most of the reviews of my other works were positive. I guess it is a good thing that I'm back to normal, as some of the later reviews for Insanity were quite... amusing. No, that's not the word. I lack the right choice for my feelings, but I have to say, even I found myself suprised at that ending._

_And since several people were wondering what I was on/thinking when I wrote Insanity, let me be blunt: I was off my meds, and I was kicking around the idea of an insane character plot (read Insanity to see the Behind the Scenes for more depth) where at least one person died and torture took place. That, and maybe I read one too many Japanese fan comics that were a wee bit more sadistic than their English counterparts._

_In short, I was nuts._

_SO! The Hunted! And I still wonder why I choose THAT for the title, given that the mere word "Hunted" implies giving chase with intent to do harm to another. At least, that is the common thought on it. Also, Igori (the new OC that I came up with on a spurr of the moment and developed with even a crude sketch by yours truly), contrary to what might be implied and stated over and over, is NOT an old man; he is, in actuality, closer to Isaac or Felix's age than someone like Kraden. His appearance (not to mention his breathing issues), as stated in the last chapter, are the result of an attack by Sheba (read the chapter). My theory on why that is comes from the fact that I was watching too much Revenge of the Sith, loved the wheezing that Greivous kept making, and the Emperor's visage being disfigured and warped by an electrical attack (or his use of the Dark Side, take your pick, Warsies...)._

_So, in short, Igori has more depth than most ususal OCs that I have come up with, and will not be swept under the rug too soon._

_Wow. It just dawned on me how much I was rambling here and how much I wrote; maybe it is time that I get to the fic, no? After all, I now have people expecting updates rather frequently, after the rapid completion of Insanity (when was the last time I updated three chapters in two days?)._

_Now, to the Hunted 2 - The General's Sister?_

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Whiping a bit of drool from his last coughing fit, Igori winced at the haggard skin practically hanging from his cheek. Damn that Sheba, damn that resistance group, and damn the General for doing whatever it was that Sheba claimed that caused her to start her attacks in the first place. Being twentyish, Igori should have been a proud warrior, with a sucessful record and a few wenches in his bed. But no, Sheba had warped his appearance, and he was selected to bring in the (in)famous Isaac and his mate Jenna, and to help Zial bring in two others, Felix and Mia, if memory served.

Memory served. He looked ancient, he felt ancient, he coughed like an old man on his death bed, and what did he have to show he was young? His mind. That was all he really had anymore, his young, intelligent mind. Thankfully, his mind was still intact, and he was mroe than capable of summoning vast ammounts of psynergy, should the situation warrant it.

Fortunately, walking with Jenna and Isaac had been one where he did not need to reveal his abilities, and they merely assumed he was some common errand boy. Elements, they even referred to him as a private servant to the General or Emperor, and speculated as to whether they saw him before or not.

Igori pulled his Elixer out again, ignoring the fact that it was nearing the end of its supply, laughing privately to himself. In truth, he had witnessed Isaac's first few battles, and though he had admired the Venusian then, like virtually all members of the Tolbibib armies (both Elite and Masters), cursed his name, his children, his bride, his parents, and his blood. Too many people, on both sides of the army, had lost friends and loved ones all because of Isaac's entry in the fights. True, it was really the previous ruler who was responsible for that choice, but even those few who defended Isaac's name knew the bad blood would last for years.

Which, of course, was why he and his friends were being brought to the Emperor in the first place.

"What is that you are drinking, Igori?"

Turning his head slightly, Igori met Isaac's blue eyes, puzzled at the genuine curiosity in them. They really had no clue, did they? Why did they not listen to their towering oaf of a friend when he said that this was a trap? Shrugging, he answered: "It helps with my breathing; it heals my throat's scarring and lets me breath more easily."

"Your throat?" asked Jenna, "What happened?"

Igori was tempted to tell them the truth, but thought the better of it; why tell them of the resistance movement and make them rethink their choice to visit the Empire? But a little bending would not hurt, assuming he told it well; his sudden coughing fit did not hurt the effect. "I was in an accident and attacked by a Jupitarian. She fried me a little, and scarred my lungs and throat rather well."

Igori saw Isaac exchange a glance with Jenna, who moved to adjust her pack as she spoke. "Just what did you DO?"

They thought he started the whole thing? Well, it did make sense; to them, he was an old man, and old men were typically assumed to be "dirty." Figures; who ever gave them the idea that all old men were like that? "I did nothing. No, I take," a wheeze, "I take that back. I was in the wrong pace at the right time." Another wheeze. "She was fighting with another soldier," he said, phrasing it so that he was not exactly lying, just hiding a few facts, "and I just happened to be a target of her attack when the guards tried to restrain her."

"Uh huh." Igori turned to face Jenna, noting signs of doubt in her eyes.

"So tell me, Ms. Jenna, just what makes you thinkACK," a brief coughing fit, "sorry, what makes you think I am the guilty party, hmm? Is it because I am an old man, that I had to be attacking her? No, that can't be what you think; I must have been forcing her, no? Young people!" He coughed, actually him laughing. Her face at his outburst was priceless, her cheeks almost as red as her hair, and probably more embarrassed than her features revealed.

Isaac's face was not so revealing, though he obviously had some knowlege as to why Jenna spoke so, "Sorry. We once knew an old man that was... quite odd."

Igori raised an eyebrow at that, or at least where an eyebrow would have been; the attack had singed them off. "So that justifies attacking me so? I am no fool, Isaac, and I would trust that your wife would keep her thoughts more guarded than she has; if she spoke like that to the Emperor..." His voice trailed off in a painful moan, forcing him to drink from the flask again. Cursing at its emptiness, he shoved it into a side pouch and reached for another from beneath his cloak. After sipping the soothing fluid, he put it back, waving off Isaac's attempts to reply. "Don't worry about, seriously. I'm not really offended, just shocked that someone so pretty would assume that so fast."

It was almost too much, their faces at THAT response. He could almost read their thoughts: he really IS a dirty old man? What are we doing, following him? Jenna's face was one of pure horror, and she made her way (slowly, trying to be subtle and failing royally at it) to Isaac's side. Igori would have lauged himself to death, if he was not busy trying to identify a small object ahead.

As they continued walking, Isaac and Jenna's arms around each others waist, Igori squinted at the objects ahead, appearing to be three travelers, or something similar. Monsters they were not, and a good thing! It would be too tempting to show off his abilities against some of the local vermin around here, espeically if they were as annoying as those jackels in southern Gondowan.

Slowly nearing the three figures, Igori began to make out some details: one was wearing a brown shirt and pants, with a green cloak flowing behind him. And if Igori's eyes were right, he (assuming it was a guy, given what Igori saw) had a ponytail. Another had purple hair, cut short at the base of her neck, wearing a dirt green shade of traveling robes. Zial, that had to be her; purple hair was such a rare trait in the Empire. The third had flowing blue hair, cloaked in blue robes, with a face so pale...

Igori blinked. Surely he saw wrong; gently shaking his head, he wheezed as he strained to see the girl as best as he could. The same blue hair, the same robes, and the same pale face... Could the General have a sister? Was that possible?

Closing in, he noted Zial's conversation with her guests, wondering what kind of chat she was having with them. At least she was an attractive young woman (and a skilled Master, one who did not (and really could not) hide her talents well) in comparison to his old man appearance. Quite the odd duo for this mission, and sure to not help Igori after that nice chat a minute ago.

Wheezing hard enough to force a cough, Igori waved. "Zial! Zi Pach De Vinotoa!" He ignored the bizzare stares that Isaac and Jenna gave him, not caring that they were puzzled by the wierd words. Assuming that they were real words; the General had comissioned a random scholar to come up with a set of code phrases to allow communications that would (and barely could) be understood by soldiers.

"Igari!" Zial spoke, mispronouncing his name as she tended to do when in good humor; a good sign. "Zo Puzn Vi Danutul!"

All is well and good to go. Thank Elements, Igori mused, staring at the closing figures. Yes, that was definately Felix walking in the brown outfit with green cloak, there was no mistaking his face from the old wanted posters in the archives (though for WHAT, Igori never cared to know). And that meant that the other had to be Mia...right? Igori looked her over, amazed at what he saw. If Jenna was an angel, Mia was a goddess, and her beauty only reinforced the thought that she might be related to the General. Why did they not mention this?

In any case, now they needed to head to their chartered caravan, which would be a few miles south. The end of this mission was nearing, and Igori privately wondered why he felt a ping of sadness at finishing it. Not that it really mattered; his reward would be worth the effort, so the Emperor claimed. Maybe he would be allowed to lead a team to catch Sheba and repay her for his scarring. Or maybe he would be given command of the task to find Lemuria. Either way, he would win.

Yes, Igori mused, staring at the apparent reunion before him as Felix and Mia embraced and chatted with Isaac and Jenna, a touching moment. It would be worth it.

Hopefully.

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**_End of Chapter 2_**

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_A bit more of the same of last chapter (building on details, adding background, and a wee bit of humor (c'mon, admit it - the old man parts were funny, no?), bringing in Felix and Mia (don't complain: was almost Mia and IVAN), and introducing a new OC, Zial), but I think it worked. Better than most chapters that I have written. At least now I am free to begin working on meeting the Emperor and General, and once that is done, have some free time to play Animal Crossing DS. Because, well, I have to get some bells to pay off Nook and have enough left over for the Flea Market this Saturday._

_Don't scoff: play it and then tell me it is not fun._

_Er, anyway. Feel free to voice your thoughts in the review section; I welcome feedback!_

_**Mikaa**, Lord of the Onion_


	3. Oops

**Golden Sun: The Hunted**

_Written by Mikaa_

_**Chapter 3 - Oops**_

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_**Author's Note** - Geez, the hell I'm going to get when I start to revert back to my older update schedule of (bi)weekly... Ew. Anyway, nice feedback last chapter, though I was suprised that were OK with the Felix/Mia paring (given that I came so bloody close to the Ivan/Mia rarity, it's kinda a good thing, no?). But then, couldn't have Felix/Sheba, given that she's involved in the underground movement against the Tolbibi (yes, it IS TolbiBI, not Tolbi) Empire. And no, Ky, this is not an AU; if it was, believe me, I would lable it on the summary line._

_Also, I've been getting some nice feedback on the Igori character, though why one of you (you know who you are...) wants him to die at the hands of Sheba is beyond me. Then again, you have only seen two chapters, and not all the plot yet._

_Speaking of which! You are probably wondering what could make me use such a vague title for the chapter as this one's. Well, to be blunt, I had other, better choices, which I might reveal (or use) later. Suffice it to say that I found this one to be just a wee bit more humerous, and wanted to make people interested in finding out._

_And while I am getting guesses already as to who the General is, I will not comment, and will only reveal via the texts. And having said that, I must now get to the story before I hike up the word count through the roof. Sheez, they really should have a seperate counter for words in the story and keep the Author Notes seperate. And they should be more careful with, er, lemme go to the story before I get in doo doo... (Smacks self for almost writing Bantha Poo-Doo, then bashes head throuh door for even thinking of THAT...)

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Entering his private suite's central hall, the General groaned, pain surging through his back. Not from combat or his personal activities. No, the pain had no real source. The only real source that came to mind was when he set out to bring in those four "heroes" into town. Was it a psychological problem? Was he worried about seeing her again, with her husband?

Not that it really mattered, and not that he would worry too much about it. To dwell on this issue was moot: there was only one Master qualified to check his condition, and damned if he would let the all-powerful General's mental state become the common topic in the barracks.

He removed his dark blue cloak, and contemplated discarding his armor. Though it looked sturdy enough, by itself it could only withstand the full force of a toothpick. The secret of the armor was that it amplified and enhanced any psynergy channeled into it, making it nigh impossible to break when he focused enough. Truth be told, he rarely needed the armor itself, but after the damned resistance slipped a mole through as a whore and tried to kill him, he was not taking chances (even if it made him seem paranoid).

Entering his bed chambers, he immediately grabbed his sword: arrayed on the bed were the garments of a palace worker, the colors matching one of a cook. Oddly enough, there was a small patch on the collar, one that symbollized military service. Apparently, one of two things were happening: either the army was trying to appease his anger over the Tolbi Lighthouse problems with one of their officers, or the resistance was dumb enough to try to send him another prisoner wrapped in his towels.

Either way, it would make for an entertaining evening. And that did not include physical pleasures.

Slowly entering the room, he reveled in the prospect of potentially capturing another resistance member. Typically, moles and plants either knew nothing of the organization of the underground, or would scramble their brains rather than reveal key information. Alex had to groan at that thought: the resistance were made up of varying peoples that had eluded the Empire's reorganization of cities and citizens, and though most were not Adepts, an unfortunate number were.

And unless someone was dumb enough to give away the psynergy shielding ring to this person (who the General could hear in the bath room), the unknown person was an Adept.

He neared the door, taking in a slow, silent breath at the thought of encountering an Adept warrior this late at night, in his own quarters. While he knew he could easily handle anything, should the person be hostile it would mean severe punishments to the security forces, most of which the General himself had trained and favored.

The sound of wet feet on smooth marble caused the General to freeze where he stood, wondering if the person would simply walk past and make this too easy. But then, if it was an Adept, it might be a Jupitarian, and he would have a few complications there.

The person walked right past, as he predicted, and the General immediately sized up his foe: a young woman, probably in her twenties, somewhat long violet hair, purple eyes, and a sizable bust, if the way his towel was staying on her without help was any indication. Not unatractive at all, but there was no way he could let his guard down: the ring, the purple hair, and the fact that she walked with her posture just a little stiff.

She was a Jupitarian. And she had to know he was here.

And she had to have known that he knew that. Which would explain why she turned, feigning shock as she "saw him," about as believable as a sack of gummy bears being real bears. True, a bad analogy, he mused, but one that he made intentionally.

And it paid off; the girl flushed, though did not act as a mere cook or civilian would. Which meant that, either from the army or resistance, the General was facing a warrior. She looked him square in the eye, she stood at a loose attention, and her eyes.

Her eyes... Something about them...

He quickly dismissed the notion, instead paying more attention to her other "attributes," hoping (yet not expecting) that she would drop her guard. He gestured to the bed, not suprised when she sat down still at an informal attention.

Their silent staring match continued for another two minutes or so, all the while the General tried to force her hand or to reveal something, failing at every turn. A pro, then. Maybe she was from his troops. One way to find out.

"Name, rank, code-phrase."

The woman spoke, and again, something there... "Zial, Master Lieutenant, Bytescho."

In a blurr of motion, the General smacked the woman across the face, sending her sprawling onto her back. "Nice try. Next time your spy network might choose someone who is not on assignment, eh?" He saw her try to carry on the charade, but another slap was more than enough to end that attempt. "Now then, would you mind telling me just who you are?"

"Yes, m'lord," he was unmoved by her attempt at pleading, "I am but a simple villager. I was told by Master General Androclix to present myself such, with the same name. He said you would understand."

Ooh, she was good. Never mind the innocent victim gimmick, he knew a real act when he saw it, and though not a true production, she obviously had some prior event when she was one. But to blame Androclix, one of the Masters that the General had trained himself and appointed to head of security, that was a cute trick. What made his task of catching her without a comeback harder was that Androclix had tried this trick before with actual cooks and servants. Hmm, what to try to test her with? He briefy considered seeing how far she would go in her role, then dismissed THAT thought; against a pro wind mage, there was no way he was going to give her any openings.

He stared at her, wondering if he should let security just worry about it. Not that it would make him feel better to have to wait longer, but it would allow him some much needed rest, especially since Sheba had dissapeared off the map, and could str...

He stared at "Zial," a slow smile streaching across his face. And the slow look of dread passing over hers. And this was not an act; he could see the faint glow of her mind trying to see what he was thinking.

Not that it would do her any good.

"Give it up, Sheba, you have run out of tricks."

Dread on her face made way for sheer terror and panic. Immediately she moved an arm to help hold the towel up, her other hand glowing with the faint hint of psynergy. He faked a step towards her, and out lashed a volley of lightning, powerful enough to set clothes ablaze and melt glass.

Except that she was not counting on him funneling all of her attack into his hands, funneling the unmade lightning into his armor to produce a barrier. In minutes, the barrier would be strong enough to deflect her bolts back at her, and she had to know there was no way out; once his shield was up, a few more minutes would have security busting in to investigate the use of psynergy in the palace under orders from the Emperor himself. And purple hair or not, Sheba would be promptly interrogated and executed.

And there was no way she did not know this. "Give it up, Sheba, and I might consider letting you live." Did he say that? Why would he let her live? Was she trying to get in his mind? Or... No, that was not her, his mental barriers would be alerting him to THAT kind of an attack; all of her focus was on trying to power her attack to try to break his hold. But a thought occured, one that would serve his purposes and the Empire's, and best of all, she would be alive and useful.

Her attack lessened as she obviously picked at his thoughts, slowly stopping when she (apparently) sensed the approaching security. Terror in her eyes, she looked at him, almost pleading for whatever he had in mind. Grabbing her by the arm, he pulled her onto the bed, rolling her onto her back as he climbed onto the bed. Despite her shock, she did not resist as he forced a kiss, and none too soon, as the sound of the door being slammed open forced a yelp from her.

The look on the guard's faces, once he looked to face them, was priceless. "Is...is...is...?" The lieutenant, obviously recently promoted (where was the chief? Probably not on duty thanks to Sheba here...), and nervous as hell about the possible rage he might endure for busting in on the General's "private affairs."

"Lieutenant, may one ask what...no, don't answer that." The General did not need to fake too much. "I apoligize to you, Lieutenant."

"Sir?" The guard was caught off guard by the apology, the slightest hint of color returning to his face.

"Normally," the General spoke, telling the truth matter of factly, "I would notify your department when I would have a bit of... fun with my guests. I am sorry, and would ask that you accept leave for the next week."

Whatever confusion the guard had vanished in a flash, along with his subordinates. "Yes, sir. Thank you, sir!"

They practically tore out of the room, never giving him time to dismiss them per protocal. Still, the Lieutenant had promise; not often enough were there enough troops that did their job these days.

"Would you mind?"

Oh yeah, HER. Turning, he watched as she tried to squirm away, but he held her sholders in place. "You have no real room here, Sheba. Either you surrender and serve as a private servant, or you get sent to those chaps, with their superior there. And don't think I don't know what you did to the roster." He knew she arranged the personel there, but how he really didn't; it was just a gamble.

"You think I would whore myself out just to keep my life when-"

"Oh please, you were ready to when you tried to seduce me." He shook his head, "What you do as my servent depends on wether or not you follow my rules: you will read minds and report information to me, when you are out of my sight you will wear a Supression Band (this prevents the use of psynergy) and answer only to me, and if you follow these rules, maybe, MAYBE, I might not have you fulfilling your mission to its full extent." He had to smile as she blushed; apparently, she had thought it all out EXCEPT that part. "One other condition; you have to appear as my consort, and must keep your current look. I have no idea what you did to fake the hair so well, but you better find a way to keep it; if you meet that condition, I will not halt you from brief communications with rebel spies."

Her eyes lit up at that, and he had to smile. He could almost hear her wondering what he was expecting out of a consort role to allow her to do THAT, something that might be considered treasonous.

"Why would you let me do that?"

"I could to let you flush out spies for me, but no, that would not help. I could have you send false information, but you would be able to figure that out, even with a Supression Band. And no, not so we can track your movements. Your role as my consort would appear to your little rebellion as you still carrying out your mission, and they will have to act without direct leadership with you. I would say that is balance enough, no?"

Her anger was quite obvious. "You son of a bitch."

He released her, throwing her clothes at her. "I'll take that as a 'deal.' Now get dressed, and be glad that I don't ask for my towel back right now." He turned to head to the common room, almost laughing at the hilarious look of embarrasment on her face.

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**_End Chapter 3 - Oops_**

* * *

_Wow. I think I might want to consider upping the ratings already. No, other than some innuendo (and text that allows the reader to draw their own conclusions), this is still safe under the PG-13/T rating. And now, to brace myself for the inevitable flames (or the shock of almost none, whichever comes first)._

_Anywho, let me know what you think in the review, as I would love to hear feedback on this piece of wording._

_**Mikaa, Lord of the Flypaper**_

_Oops. Almost forgot: **MIKAA DOES NOT OWN NINTENDO, DOES NOT OWN CAMELOT, AND DOES NOT OWN GOLDEN SUN. FOR IF HE DID, A RETRANSLATED GS CART WOULD BE RELEASED ON THE DS WITH SOME NICE ANIME CLIPS AND BETTER MUSIC. BUT THAT IS A PIPE-DREAM...**_


	4. Oops, Indeed

**Golden Sun: The Hunted**

_Written by **Mikaa**_

_**Chapter 4** - Oops, Indeed

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_

_"Oops, indeed," indeed. Imagine my surprise when I read Ky's review, when she claimed that Alex was the General. So much for being careful not to use his name last chapter... I had hoped to keep it under wraps till this chapter, but, as we all know, I used his name once last time. Oh well. At least I didn't fudge up another little "secret" coming up, and no, it is not the Emperor... Has to do with someone else... Heh._

_SO! Chapter 4! Why the title? Was it to reflect the error I made? Nope. Sheba screwed up royally last time (if you began to think echii thoughts there, go away. NOW), and her errors only continue to pile up here. How could she, the great and mighty Jupitarian (where IS Ivan, anyway?), make such a huge error? Well, I care not to really dwell on that, for I might make another error..._

_So, BACK TO ADVENTURE! Ugh, why did I quote that? ACK! Now, "**I HAVE FURY**!"_

_Give you three guesses as to what I am quoting here. And to the story, because I have nothing else to soops, almost forgot: **MIKAA OWNS NOT THE NINTENDO COMPANY, CAMELOT, OR GOLDEN SUN. FOR IF HE, HE BEING MIKAA, OWNED ALL THE BEFORE MENTIONED, HE WOULD RERELEASED A REMASTERED SOUNDTRACK FOR BOTH GAMES ON A SPECIAL PROMO CD FOR A BRAND NEW DS/GBA RPG IN THE SERIES. I MEAN, WHAT WITH LOST MAGIC, TAO'S ADVENTURES, IRON FEATHER, XENOSAGA DS 1 AND 2, Y'S STRATEGY, DYNASTY WARRIOR DS (WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO THAT?), CHILDREN OF MANA, FINAL FANTASY III, RAGNAROCK ONLINE DS, RUNE WORKSHOP, TALES OF THE TEMPEST, WIZARDRY ASTERISK, WESTERN LORDS, ZELDA DS, DRAGON WARRIOR DS (SLIME THEMED), AZURE DREAMS DS, HARVEST MOOD DS, AND MAYBE TEN OR SO JAPANESE ONLY THAT I CANNOT RECALL RIGHT NOW, WHY NOT A GOLDEN SUN DS?**_

_Now, to the fic!_

_(**Side Bar**: If anyone wants to see some screenshots of any of the above mentioned games, merely e-mail me and I will reply with the screens in my supply that I have for the given game. Some are only box arts and/or magazine scans with sample shots with Japanese texts, but I will be glad to send them if you really want to see them without fighting load times or slowness in posting screens (namely FFIIIDS...)

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_

Sheba scowled again, not for the first time today, and certainly not for the last time. Alex had left to allow her to get into a ceremonial dress, one that, supposedly, aids to high officials wore when meeting other high-ups. If this was the case, she was almost ready to confess right then and there, torture and death be damned.

The dress barely hung on her shoulders, revealing her upper back and upper chest, clinging to her form enough to show off her bust moreso than anything else she ever wore. The purple fabric ended in a formal dress, with loose violet pants beneath the skirt. At least she did not have her legs revealed, though once she was free from both Alex and the damned Supression Band (which was disguised as a neckless), she would kill him. Painfully. Horribly. And maybe, just maybe, she would make HIM wear this damned thing before she seared him to a crisp.

Just as she finished with the dress, Alex walked in, making her jump. If he took any pleasure from suprising her due to her lack of powers, he did not show it. Though she did not doubt he enjoyed it, it was not like there was anything she could do. Maybe once he let her talk to her people...

Looking to Alex, she noted that he was wearing a formal outfit as well, though it looked more like a typical healer's clothing from Imil than an attire that one would expect from a General of a massive army. Before she could ask why they were dressing up anyway, another person entered:

Slightly taller than Alex, the light skinned, brown haired man wore a golden attire that revealed his positon faster than his face: The Emperor.

Completely ignoring Sheba, the Emperor moved to Alex, "I assume it is secured in here. There were rumors of infiltration again."

Alex favored the ruler of Tolbibi with a faint smile. "It was an error on my part. I will have a full report for the Emperor by the end of the current watch." Sheba blinked. What? "Tell him we are ready."

As the "Emperor" left, Sheba stared at Alex, confused. That man that walked out was known throughout the world as the Emperor, and not only had Alex not shown a sign of respect, he treated him like...

Realization passed over Sheba: it was so obvious. Why show your true identity when you could easily have a puppet deliver your messages, thereby keeping your identidy a secret? In short, the real Emperor might as well be Ivan or Garet, for all Sheba knew. Maybe that was giving Garet too much credit...

The sound of metal on limestone alerted her that someone was approaching, and as Sheba turned to face what she assumed to be the Emperor, all the blood drained from her face at what she saw. Well over eight feet tall, the figure towered to the point that his (it's?) head almost touched the ceiling. His head was roughly human-looking, though bald and with solid red sockets where his/its eyes should have been. His mouth, though was quite disturbing: a massive metal plate was where his jaw was, with thin metal bands in a vertical arrangement along the front. His body was concieled by a massive dark robe (either green or brown, hard to tell in the light), which covered his entire body sans his head and arms. A cloak covered the top of his arms, and seemed almost too small due to his barrel of a chest: his chest, if the robe and cloak were any sign, was massive and quite muscular, as was his back. Thanks to the looseness of his clothes, it was near impossible to tell anything else about his body, though his arms each had a pair of metal armor almost sewed onto his armors, mirroring the bone placement in a normal arm. His feet were not visible thanks to the robe, though the sound of metal against the floor led Sheba to believe that it, him, whatever, wore armored shoes.

Despite his imposing appearance, the creature (or whatever it was, it was clearly not entirely human) strode forward at a fast pace, arms outreached, "General!" The voice sounded quite simmilar to the gibberish that one heared from a Fenrir, though the tone was one of great pleasure and pleasantness. "It is good to see you are well!"

"My Lord!" Alex strode past Sheba to embrace the titantic being, releasing him to shake his hand. "Good to see that Anjol still lacks that friendly, knowing aura that you have!"

"Too true, too true. I have thought of replacing him, but who would stand in? Maybe if we found someone honest, eh?"

Alex was trying not to laugh: "Someone honest? Maybe the rocks would do better, eh?" Both laughed at that, maybe a private joke that Sheba had no clue about. Suddenly, the Emperor seemed to notice Sheba. "Ah, and who is this angelic creature? One of our servants, or has the army seen to try to please you after that Lighthouse trouble?" A brief pause, "After that slaughter, I half expected you to exterminate those responsible for that bloodbath."

Sheba was blushing from the compliment, but immediately began thinking on their chat: she knew that the Tolbi Lighthouse Incident was a nasty one, but what did they mean? As far as she knew, the army had slaughtered about two hundred civilians who were digging the site for ancient ruins, only because they were disobeying a vague order of policy. The army (it was never clear if it was Elite or Master soldiers) slaughtered them ruthlessly, and was one reason so many smaller cities on the frontier and island cities were supporting the resistance. If what the Emperor said was true, was it an accident, with only a few soldiers responsible? No, it had to be a play, a trick to send disinformation to her group.

Right?

"No, she is not a gift from the army, though they will have one hell of a time trying to convince me that sending those soldiers to scout out Lemuria without aid was humane. You and I both know what is out there."

"Indeed." The Emperor turned to face Sheba again, looking her over. If he recognized her... "So, if not a soldier...?"

"A new servant, recently aquired from Contigo as a piece offering from their leader. Hama claims that Enmi here would be a nice asset, and, if needed, would be good at bearing children if needed."

Barely hearing the new name she had been given on a spur of the moment, Sheba turned beet red at Alex's remarks, quietly planning his death at his description of her. "Good at bearing childrenn..." Ooh, he was going to die.

"Is that so?" The rough voice noted. The Emperor took her hand, "kissing" it with his metal jaw. Oddly enough, the metal was far from cold, actually warmer than it should have been. Odd. "I trust, being that she IS from Contigo, that you have her under suspect, no?" Sheba did not need to know why the Emperor said such; Contigo was barely on speaking terms with Tolbibi.

"But of course, my Lord. And, naturally, should I suddenly find her carrying any heirs, you will be the first to know." Both men had a laugh at her expense, and could only cringe with hidden rage. Alex was a pig!

The Emperor and General said their farewells, and the Emperor left. As the sound of metal on stone ended, Sheba turned to face Alex. "Enmi? GOOD AT BEARING CHILDREN? ASSETS? BEARING YOUR 'HEIRS?'" She lunged at him, missing him as he easily dodged her, resulting in her slamming onto the bed. Whirling around, she glared at him. "You are such a bastard, you know that? Just what did Mia see in you!"

His face became redder than if Sheba had actually slapped him. Maybe she had struck a soft spot. By all rights, she should make his life as miserable as he made hers, hurting him as he hurt her. But, she mused, what had he actually done to her to warrant such an emotional spot? "Sorry." Did she say that? Why would she be sorry about Alex, anyway? The son of a bitch led one of the most despised armies in the world!

Or did he? What if the Emperor spoke the truth about the Lighthouse, one of the biggest incidents that the rebels used to bring support to them? Why did the Emperor (or, rather, that puppet head) not state the truth behind the incident? Would that not hurt her cause if they publically tried and punished the soldiers? Was there more behind this, or was it a hoax?

She stared at Alex, slowly realizing that he was still standing at the edge of the bed, her laying on it with her arms supporting her back. "Don't worry about it," he spoke, gently grasping her hand, pulling her up. He turned to leave, speaking as he left: "Feel free to change out of that. Trust me, I hate the damned local high class choices of clothes as much as you must. I will be back in an hour, and I will assist you in prepping for our trip. Thanks to your timely arrival, we now have no reason to hold off on visiting Kalay to open trade relations."

Sheba watched him dissapear into the common room, not noticing the door silently close (how did she not hear it, anyway?). Nevermind the bizzare Emperor, the Lighthouse problems, or why they suddenly needed to go to Kalay; She had wounded him, just as she had planned. She had hit him as bad as if she had stabbed him with a knife.

So why did she feel guilty about it?

* * *

_**End Chapter 4 - Oops, Indeed**_

* * *

_More innuendo, but I think it was nowhere near as bad as last time (with Alex right on top of her, with Sheba in a TOWEL). I'll probably get more "amusing" feedback on the Emperor than I would normally expect on a new character, though I assure you, there is a reason behind this._

_Oh, and if you wonder why I have not met the requirements of the "Action/Adventure" genre (we have angst and a touch of romance, but no real action outside of last chapter), do expect some in the near future. Maybe the very, very near future. Who can tell? (Evil Grin)_

_Anyway, I must go now, as I have to clean house and begin guesses as to how many people will pick up on the name joke in this chapter..._

_**Mikaa**, Lord of Stupidity, Master of Wierdness, Doomed by the Insanity, Dragging out his Stories, Rushing to Avoid Death_


	5. Why Me?

**Golden Sun: _The_ _Hunted_**

_Written by **Mikaa**_

_Chapter 5 - Why Me?

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_

_Wow, either people are slow in reviewing, or no one cares about this. Or maybe I irritated more people with some light Alex/Sheba. C'mon, people, don't assume that I'm going with that pairing! I might, but that doesn't mean it would be the final pairing there!_

_**ER**, moving on._

_This chapter does contain the action/adventure I promised, what with some very...interesting combat as Igori finds himself in a jam. Oh, and a very bizzare dream that I made up while writing. What significance this has will show up later... Mwueheheheh..._

_Oh yeah: **MIKAA OWNS NOT GOLDEN SUN, NINTENDO, CAMELOT, OR A METROID (IN ANIMAL CROSSING: WIDE WORLD). IF HE DID, THERE WOULD BE A CREATE YOUR OWN GOLDEN SUN SEQUEL DS GAME, AND I WOULD BE HAVING A BLAST WITH MY LITTLE METROID. YES I WOULD, YES IWOULD, YES EOVIVOVIOVI... YEAH...**_

_And now, the new chapter, "Why Me?" For I need **reviews** to **motivate**..._

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The world was ablaze.

The very earth flowed with liquid fire, lava engulfing whatever was untouched. Water filled the sky, seperated from the fire by the "river" of wind and rock. Trees were standing, but instead of the trees that most knew stood flaming towers, their flames wavering in the dust-filled barrier seperating the molten ground from the liquid air.

The only thing that was completely unaffected by the sheer heat of the surface of the hellish world was Igori. He had visited this world many, many times, always in his sleep. Walking on the flaming grass, he kicked a stone, not caring as the phantom pain burned at his toes from the rock. Though his mother had been a Jupitarian, he had inherited his father's earthern abilities. Yet, somehow he always had the odd vision, only a few coming to pass, including the nasty vision of his near death at Sheba's hands.

But this vision, assuming it varied from the usual dreams he had, always came back to haunt him. It moved as it always did, the firey lands cooling slowly, the dusty air settling to form the lands he knew so well, the water falling onto the land, forming the oceans and rivers. Layer by layer, the world reverted to its normal state.

And like every time he saw this damned world revert to the norm, Igori saw a massive blast centered at the Tolbi Lighthouse collapse in on itself, and then the world faded, the dream ended as it always did: the end of the world returning to the point just before it ended. Or so he thought; to be honest, he had no idea WHAT this dream was about. And knowing how his dreams varied at random, leaving him no idea as to when visions were real or not, he just shrugged it off.

As the dream faded, Igori awoke to find himself on a cot.

Immediately, he was fully awake, eyes identifying and looking over every piece of his surroundings. No longer in the waggon he had chosen for his sleep, he was in a dank, dusky cell, the age looking to be old, but lack of use could be messing up the age of it. The bars were strong enough to resist conventional efforts to move them from where they were locked, but he decided against showing his hand; there were no guards, but no one would leave him in this cell without something to alert them if he was moving.

And what had happened to Zial? Where were Isaac, Jenna, and the other two? Quickly he searched his person, paling as he noted the lack of elixer in his pouches. Who-why? Why would they take his elixer! He needed them!

Knowing that his next move would set a chain reaction that he could not control, but he had no choice: if he did not get his elixer within a few hours, they might as well have forgotten him entirely and thrown away the key.

With a flicker of hesitation, he summoned his powers, practically ripping the bars and the hinges from the wall without trying. Igori sent the door flying over the end of the path, suprised to hear it splash into some water. Had to be close to either a river or sea, which, with the time that had to take place between his going to sleep and being left in that cell, left only a few choices.

All thoughts to where he was ended as he saw the stair well: Kalay. Had to be Kalay; no other place Igori had visited had such unique stonework for its stairs. Sensing out, he frowned as he failed to sense Zial, immediately fearing for her. He had not known her long, and to have this mission fail so fantastically, he might as well throw himself into the water, and damn to hell the notion of returning disgraced.

But, no. A lesser soldier, fearing for position and role in the army, might do such. But Igori would sooner sack himself to save another than to abandon them to ruffians. And why were they in Kalay, anyway? Slowly, he rose through the star well, eyes watching with intense interest for any sign of guards. Maybe they decided he would be no threat; after all, they thought he was an old man, though if Zial told them anything, she might tell them he had some abilities.

Then again, he mused, Zial also thought he was an old man; the woman had barely been around before the mission began anyway.

Igori froze at the top of the stairs, dread filling him. Zial had not been in the army long, was choosen to go on this mission, recommended by high-ranking soldiers, was not locked up as he was. There was only one real conclusion he could draw from these thoughts, one he did not like at all:

Zial was a rebel.

Swearing, he increased his climb, knowing that he had to confirm his suspicion, and get at his elixer. He chuckled darkly; it didn't matter if they killed him now if he didn't get more elixer; he'd die within two hours if he didn't get some.

Opening the door at the top, he swore as a servant dropped a dish of food, probably intended for him. At the sight of him, the servant ran, raising an alarm as she did. Igori prepped himself; here we go.

The first resistance to his search was a pair of house guards, who drew their blades at the sight of him. Igori considered gripping the blades with his mind and slaying them, but thought the better of it; the General always stated, kill only when you have no choice. Instead, he reached out with both hands, gripping them both, hurling them to a far wall. They impacted hard, knocked out immediately.

The next opposition, though, was one Igori was not expecting so soon: Isaac and crew.

Felix moved first, blade drawn and moving towards him, Igori guessing that he was hoping to "scare the old man to surrender" trick. Whatever his intent, Igori was not going to just lay down and let them lock him back up. He had maybe another half hour or so before he would feel the effects that followed not consuming elixer. Raising his hands, he grabbed Felix, ignoring the failed attempt to resist the grip. Lifting him up, he hurled him towards the others, missing Mia and Isaac, but hitting Jenna and a guard (who had just arrived at the wrong time) and sending them sprawling.

Isaac rushed at him, his obvious intent to tackle Igori forcing the "old man" to reach out, gripping one of Isaac's feet, tripping him up and sending him skidding along the ground. To Igori's shock, Isaac lifted a hand, pushing with his mind to send Igori backwards. Or at least, that would have worked, if Igori had not summoned a counter-push, straining to try to keep Isaac's psynergy matched so as to not cause acciental harm to Mia and the others, not to mention possibly breaking Isaac's neck with the force that he might accidentally unleash.

He sensed Isaac dropping his efforts, and Igori matched, breathing hard from the strain. Isaac appeared to be out of the fight, really leaving only Mia to oppose hi...

Then Zial appeared. Still clothed in the same attire, she lept over the bodies of Felix, Jenna, and the guard, lightning from her fingers lancing right at Igori before her feet hit the ground. Igori strained to keep the bolts in check, barely able to grasp a vase behind her. Sweat poured down his disfigured features, his breathing becoming harsh and painful. Had he misguessed the time between his last elixer?

Grasping the vase with all of his might save what he needed to keep Zial at bay, he hurled the vase at her, knocking her out, but also sending some of the bolts in a wild arc. One bolt impacted the wall next to Igori, exploding the stone and sending debris smacking into his head. With his breathing dying down due to sharp pain in his lungs, his psynergy strained due to his innability to focus due to the extreme pain, he was unable to keep ahold of awareness, barely able to see or hear any more.

The last thing Igori thought as a blue blurr moved to his side as he fell was that, of all the people in this damned world, why him? What did he do to deserve this?

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_End Chapter 5 - Why Me?_

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_Wow, neverminding the wacko dream, is Igori going to die? I'll let you decide that one. On another note, what did you think of the battle? Opinions, people! Mikaa needs opinions!_

_Now, review, while I consider when I shall write Chapter 6..._

_**Mikaa**, Lord of the Flypaper, Defender of the DS Against Naysayers_


	6. Tests are a Pain

**Golden Sun:** **_The_** **_Hunted_**

_Written by **The** **Mikaa**_

**Chapter ****6** - _Tests are a Pain

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_

_Now, before I go into depth on my typical story/review recaps, what do you think that chapter title signifies? Am I saying I had tests, and that was why I had not updated in so long? Is it because I am trying to find an excuse to blame why it took me so long to write the new chapter? Or is it half-truth?_

_**Weeeelll**..._

_In reality, between being sick, having school, boxing up crap in my room, trying to finalize WHAT was going into this chapter, and trying to pry myself from Animal Crossing DS, Mega Man II Game Boy (which I played just to check out something, and soon became locked in its classic grasp), reading a VERY good Tom Clancy novel (seriously; Red Storm Rising is suprisingly good...), catching up on school work from when I was sick, helping plan and celebrating my sis's birthday, and THEN finding time to write this thing... Eh, who cares, though? It's not that anyone gives a rat's fluffy bunny about me, right?_

_Except those that want to see where I am going with this (and to see if I was just on crack when I wrote that bizzare dream bit for Igori...)_

_Speaking of the deformed maniac! We all know he practically handed everyone their butts a la Alex in "The Insanity!" And, naturally, Igori now has a mob out to have his hide. One thing I often am asking myself about is why Igori is hated so much, why they despise the "old man" bit, and wonder what people will think of later chapters. Yes, Igori is an OC, and yes, I am not a big fan of fics where OCs are the stars, but there will be an answer..._

_Speaking of answers, alert readers might recall a few chapters back when another character had a hidden identity, and I stated it was NOT Alex (though I have been VERY careful since that debacle...). So! Guess away before you read, as someone is revealed here..._

_Oh, and though **MIKAA DOES NOT OWN NINTENDO, CAMELOT, GOLDEN SUN, GAME STOP, GAME FAQS, OR WHATEVER ELSE I CAN THINK OF**, he does have some rather interesting reviews posted at (look for the user name, eh, just guess...). If you are a big DS fan, feel free to check out my reviews, as over 50 of my write-ups pertain to those games, usually popular ones (and quite a few POSes that I KNEW to be POSes... But then, who else would review "Incredibles - Rise of the Underminer?" Only someone with no time and no life. And who likes punishment. Geez, if I go any further down Bad Game lane, I might end up like Seanbaby... Eh, but that's a few years away, never if I don't play half of those NES games he rants on about..._

_Er, you wanted the story, right? Sorry... :cough:_

**_BACK TO ADVENTURE!_**

_**DAMN IT ALL!** Why can't I get that damned line out of my head when I write this?_

_To Chapter Six - Tests are a Pain, before I get hate-mail for my rants..._

* * *

He was sitting down.

And he was alive.

The very notion that he was still alive gave Igori the shivers. That they saved him at all hinted that they merely wanted him for questions, maybe even information on where and how to nail the Empire's army to weaken them, or maybe have him try to kill the Emperor.

Or maybe he was overreacting a bit. It might help if he opened his eyes.

Doing so, Igori frowned. Whatever he was sitting in, it was nothing that he had ever seen before. Made of an exotic material (though stronger than steel), the walls of the capsule he was in were lined with a leathery surface, a glass barrier right before him.

"Where to, mack?"

Blinking, Igori stared ahead. There was a person on the other side of the glass, his face taught and thin. Breaking out of his thoughts, Igori was about to ask where he was going when the side of the thing he was in (was it a carrage? A wagon?), and entered...

...his waking-up phase. Whatever was about to happen, Igori would probably not find out; the vision (or was it just a dream? A bizzare one, if so) had faded in place of the familiar outlines of a Kalay stateroom. Igori was lying on a couch, remaining still to sense for nearby "guests." Sensing only one, he slowly sat up, shocked at how little his muscles ached. Reaching with his right hand to brush back what little hair he had, Igori froze when he felt his face. Bringing both hands to his face, he felt the smoothness, the lack of disfigurement, the... youth, if that word applied.

Looking down at his hands, they were smooth as well, as though he had never been attacked by Sheba. Whether this was just another dream, or a sign of an illusion, Igori could not tell, nor did he bother trying. Glancing up, he saw the figure he sensed on the bed, and frowned. It was Jenna, looking, for all intent and purposes, like a cadaver. Rising and moving to the bed, Igori placed a hand on her forehead, checking for signs of life. Indeed, he did find signs that she was alive, though whether she would stay that way was debatable; she was barely hanging on. Was this a result from his attack on her?

His eye twitched at a new sensation, his mind feeling the presence of something else nearby. Looking around, he did not see or hear anything, then looked back to Jenna. Igori frowned, eyes narrowing. Reaching over Jenna's abdomen, he reached out with his psynergy to check for that which he feared. Indeed, she was pregnant, and if she died because of what he-

Something was wrong. He checked the unborn child again, sensing something amiss. Time and time again, because of his appearance, er, former appeareance, Igori usually doubled as a medical aid to important figures in the Empire, usually as an undercover guard. On a few occasions (a few too many for Igori's liking), he had been forced to check on the unborn children, and usually sensed something in addition to the child, usually an elemental signature, or their bodies developing at an unusual pace. SOMETHING in addition to mere children in the womb.

All he sensed here was that there was a child, nothing else. No sign of life, no pulse, no elemental sign. A minute ago, he might have thought that his attacks earlier might have caused this; but no, if the child had died in the attack, he would have sensed nothing; if it was still alive, he SHOULD have sensed something.

Illusions. Had to be. And whoever was doing it was skilled at it, if not knowlegable about babies. Mabye a man. Could Ivan have come out of wherever he was hiding?

Stepping back, Igori charged his psynergy, sending waves of his mental energy to his hands. When he felt ready, he brought them together, then, as if clawing at the air, he unleashed the psynergetic energy, the air shimmering, the room dissolving. Even Igori himself was vanishing, only to find himself on a sofa.

In another state room. But this time, the room was notably bigger. From where he laid, Igori noted a small upper balcony (for whatever reason, he knew not), and as his eyes adjusted to the rest of the room, he looked up and saw Zial and Felix.

Felix's face was one of puzzlement, but Zial's was one of pure horror. She knew (how cold she not) that he was out of the illusion, and would only be a second or so before he would either be restrained or interrogated. Igori had a third option. With his mind, he hurled the cusions upwards, rolling off of them as he did, landing a few feet away from Felix and Zial. Yanking a pole off the wall, he positioned it defensively, not sure what Felix and Zial would do if he tried to strike an offensive pose. Quickly, he found out their responses:

Zial stood to the side as Felix drew his blade, charging at Igori. Igori deftly blocked Felix's attemtps to "kill" him, knowing that his fellow Venusian would need Igori alive, if only to find out information.

Ducking a swipe at his head, Igori lept into the air, using his psynergy to hurl him onto the balcony. Barely able to see what Felix was doing, Igori almost became chop-suey as Isaac (where the _frak_ did _**HE**_ come from?) moved against him. Blocking Isaac's efforts, Igori huled the pole at Isaac, using his mind to force Isaac a few feet away.

Quickly, Igori shrouded himself in a cloak. Under common military training, one did not use a shroud or cloak against an Adept, as one move was enough to reveal ones self to them. However, Igori did not move, barely breathed, as Felix lept to the balcony as well, both he and Isaac trying to find him. Yet, to Igori's puzzlement, Zial stared RIGHT AT HIM. She did not shout out his position, did not try to attack him, did not even move herself. Was she trying to put him off guard, or was she summoning others?

Or, Igori dreaded, was this yet another illusion?

Leaping over the side of the balcony, Igori could not see the shocked faces of Isaac or Felix, instead focusing his energy to summon a small field of dust around him, thrusting himself into the air. His actions looked, for all intents and purposes, like a double jump, and the Venusian's intakes of breath gave him enough time to land just beyond Zial, who only moved to follow him.

Without thinking, Igori rushed her. She tried to fire bolts of psynergy at him, but whatever effort she sought to use was being used elsewhere, thus confirmin his theory. Grasping her head, he funneled all of his energy into her, trying to break her control. Yet, she kept going, kept the illusion up. Igori began to worry; what if this was not an illusion?

Blood dribbled from her nose, and Igori began to wonder if he should release her. Just as he did, reality once again began to vanish from the "world," but with different results. For one, Igori was standing where he was, but in one of the lower dungeon rooms of Kalay. For another, he was holding Zial still, her breathing...

...was actually the air leaving her; she had stopped.

Lowering her to the floor, Igori quickly altered his psynergy's focus, trying to sense any damage that he could repair. Despite being Venusian, Igori had all the healing skills of a Proxian Village Idiot. Even knowing this, he almost felt a need to help her, knowing full well he was responsible.

Besides, he had to know who she was, right?

Cursing, he tried to search along the lower back areas of her skull, not sure if he would be in time to help her. Already he heard feet approaching, and if he looked up, he might just fail right away.

"Let me help..."

Igori blinkied. Still focusing on Zial, he frowned; he "heard" a voice, but that was not a voice he should have heard. It was Zial, but her lips did not move. What? How was she...?

"No time... Just... let me..."

Not bothering with an answer, Igori merely held her head gently, suprised when he felt himself pouring psynergy into her body, could feel her brain shift from where she was focusing her efforts. Would she be able to finish before Isaac and Felix...?

Abruptly, she began breathing again, much to everyone's supprise, if the gasps behind him were any sign. Gently, Igori lowered her to the floor, absently brushing a stray strand of hair from her face. Why was he staring at her, gawking like a love-sick teen? He just saved a spy, or a traitor, whichever, an act that was punishable by means no lesser than being locked in a dungeon and being forgotten.

As Felix and Isaac grabbed him to pull Igori to his feet, Igori almost collapsed. During the battle, he had paid no heed to his body; though he no longer bore the look of an old man, his muscles and bones had yet to adjust to their newly healed state, and through an illusion and healing Zial, it was a mirical that he was still aware.

"Thank you."

The voice again. This time, Igori had no doubts that it was Zial, and somehow knew this was no illusion. But, how could he hear her? From what his mother told him, even a mind-chat showed signs of psynergy; how? Igori blinked as the world faded for a second, his mind wavering back and forth from exhaustion. He mentally pictured himself sending her a "you're welcome" message, and was suprised when he heard weak laughter, and could almost feel her amusement.

Igori almost fell to the floor as Isaac released him, moving towards Zial. Igori barely heard the words "are," "okay," and "Feizhi" before being laid on a couch, reality fading fast.

Igori did not have time to ponder the name, for as the darkness claimed him again, he had to wonder if he would ever be well enough to go _ONE_ fight _WITHOUT_ passing out.

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_**End Chapter Six**_

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_C'mon, you HAD to see that coming. Right? Anyone?_

_Well, I'll wait for the **reviews**; maybe some one did, maybe not. Just make sure to review and give your thoughts, as I need reviews to motivate me, and I need feedback to know what you (the readers) like, dislike, what you find amusing, and your favorite parts. That, and the odd wisecrack/joke always serve to motivate me faster (wink wink)_

_**Mikaa**, Master of Animal Crossing's Ch'Kal'A (AKA his town)_


	7. Things Past

**Golden Sun**: **_The_ _Hunted_**

_Written by **Mikaa**  
Character Igori Created by **Mikaa**_

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**Chapter** **7** - _Things Past

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_

_A/N - Yes, I'm a bit tardy with this chapter. Yes, I know you want to see where this is going. Yes, I know you cannot live without this story._

_Yes, I have an over-inflated sense of importance. Or maybe I'm just dreaming._

_In any event, here is the newest chapter of The Hunted. And once again, I find myself wondering about the title. Something about it sounds right, yet it doesn't make sense. One way to define the word "hunted" is the instance of someone seeking out someone else. Yes, there are dozens of other words that fit this bill better and more adequitely. But, still. When did I ever do things the normal way?_

_So! Things Past! Why do I get the sense that I used this chapter title before on another story? Eh, whatever. I must say, I am suprised at the new reviewers, and am glad people are liking this. I would not mind seeing some insight, such as comments on the plot, questions you have, and any thing else that would let me know what you like, or what I may have overlooked (such as, oh, say, the unanswered question as to how Igori is now almost better than new, healed from Sheba's attack). Nothing big, but I do like to know what people are thinking... ;;_

_**MIKAA OWNS NOT NINTENDO, CAMELOT, GOLDEN SUN, OR THE RIGHTS TO THE GBA, NOR DOES HE OWN THE KNOWLEGE OF WHEN CAMELOT WILL BE RELEASED FROM MAKING NINTENDO SPORTS GAMES AND ALLOW THEM TO MAKE RPGS, OR, HECK, ACTION GAMES. I MEAN, IF GAME FREAK IS ALLOWED TO STEP OUT OF THE POKEMON DOMAIN FOR A BRIEF NOSTALGIC GAME, THEN, WHY NOT?**_

_But enough rambling! To **Things Past**, for we all love filler!_

_I did not just say that, did ?

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_

"Mommy, what's wrong?"

All of twelve years old, Igori still called his mother "Mommy," never caring when some viewed it as "childish" or "baby-ish." Whereas some of his fellow classmates tried to seperate themselves from their parents at the first chance, Igori took every opportunity to be with his mother. It was not a matter of survival; if chance happened, he would be more than capable of living by himself.

No, he stayed with her because he knew she was in pain.

The pain was not just from the fact that his father died almost a year ago. True, that did not help things at all, what with the raid that happened upon their town and others loosing their loved ones. But while that was not the source of her constant pain, it only helped her enter into a more depressed state than she ever went into before.

The real reason for his mom's pain was that she lost a child.

Igori had no knowlege of what happened, or the whole story. From what little he had pieced together, when he was younger, his mother and father had another child, a sister for Igori. But for whatever reason, Igori never knew her; she had been sent away, or given away. Neither of which Igori knew or could figure out, and Venus knew his mother would never tell him. If he had been born with the innate ability to read minds, then he might have known what happened to his sister, or what he could do to help his mother.

Stepping next to her, Igori studied her for a moment. Standing in the kitchen of their small abode, her long blonde hair hiding her features from him, she looked so beautiful, so peaceful. The orange light from the evening sunset bathed both of them in its radiance, but the glow made his mother seem almost angelic.

Which only hurt Igori more at knowing that she was in pain.

"Mommy?"

Still she did not turn. Still she ignored him. Only once had she ignored him thus, just before his father died. Then, it was, as he knew it, because she knew of what would happen, probably from a dream, but knew she could not change what would happen. It had taken him five months of constantly asking her about how to read minds for her to spill on why she did nothing, and though he hated her for not trying, he still had to accept it. What if she had done something, yet ended up responsible for his death?

Which probably meant that she had another vision, and Igori was quite worried that it would be her time to pass on.

"Mommy?"

"Igori."

Her voice was weak, but it carried volumes of information. She was trying to talk to him, something important on her mind. This all Igori knew already, but something elusive in her tone... Maybe if he had more talent...

"Igori, I. I need you to leave."

He frowned; it was obvious that she was not telling him to merely leave the room, to go play. No, something else was there.

"I need you to go complete your destiny."

Inwardly, Igori groaned. He had heard tales far too many times of great heroes having been told to "fulfill your destiny," and to hear it from his own mother, it was insane. Nevermind the fact that she was torn up about it.

But, he knew he could not leave without asking why she said so of him. And he knew his mother would never let him go without his knowing why. Heck, she probably wanted him to ask to help her tell him.

"What do you mean?"

A sniffle from her, she still did not turn to face him. "I am not saying this lightly, Igori. Believe me, I would love nothing more to have you stay with me. But I wanted Thames, your father, to be alive, and I wanted your sister here too." She shook her head, and turned to face him: her features were still beautiful with age, but the tear marks were not fresh; she had been crying for hours.

"Believe me, Igori, please. You have to go."

Igori wanted to ask, his body crying for him to ask; he knew that there was something he was not being told, knew she was concealing something. But though his body and mind screamed to be told, to know what he was supposed to do, why his mother was telling him, in essence, to flee, he knew he had to go.

"Don't ask, don't look back, and don't cry. Just..." A deep breath, "Just make me proud."

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_End Chapter 7 - Things Past_

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_Yep, that was a filler. Yes, I have a plan for this. Am I trying to just give you something to read while I get the next chapter going? Maybe._

_In any case, ol' Mikaa here has planned out the full chapter, but I had to throw this in. Given how much depth I have given Igori (not to mention how much spot-light), I figured I might want to flesh out what the character is, and who he is. Just one more thing to make people wonder about what I am doing. Like those "dream visions" were not confusing enough..._

_Anyway, **review** if you want more, as **feedback** stimulates my drive to write!_

_Why did that sound bad? I mean, drive? Yes, it works, but why? I mean, a "need to write," "willingness to continue," "efforts, "focus," and about maybe five or so other prases or words that I cannot be bothered with. I mean..._

_Heh. Gotta go before I am slayed._

_**Mikaa**, Peon of the Ch'Kal'A_


	8. I Heard That

**Golden Sun: _The_ _Hunted_**  
_Written by Mikaa_

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Chapter 8 -_ I Heard That_

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_**A/N** - Wow. I half expected a linch mob after I threw that filler chapter together. Nice that people are actually willing to put up with bits and pieces of Igori's past as this moves on. Speaking of which, I do find it amusing that so many people were glad that Feihzi was in the story. And not the least bit shocked when everyone assumed that Mia healed Igori._

_Yes, I just said "assumed." Do I imply that someone else healed him? Draw your own conclusions, but don't expect much._

_So, without further blabbing from the world's biggest idiot, **MIKAA DOES NOT OWN NINTENDO, CAMELOT, GOLDEN SUN, OR THE KNOWLEGE OF WHAT KIND OF RPG CAMELOT IS RUMORED TO BE WORKING ON FOR THE REVOLUTION...**_

_So, to Chapter 8 of the Hunted, "I Heard That."

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_

"C'mon, Felix, what did you expect?"

Well, at least he didn't wake up from yet another bizzare dream.

Igori rose from where he lay, noting (with disgust) that he had been left on the couch in the lower levels of Kalay. If these people ever thought about security as much as they did talking to each other, then maybe he would not be able to get up and roam freely.

But what fun would that be?

Rising, Igori checked himself over, stunned that he really was healed up. Gone were his sagging skin, warped cheeks, blistered hands. His muscles felt brand new, his bones not aching as he sat up and rose to move to the stairs. Just the fact that he was healed was puzzling enough; someone had, somehow, in some way, managed to completely outclass every healer in Tolbibi.

Which meant that either someone was not qualified, or there was a plot against him. Or just some sick joke. Maybe Vigral was in on it...

"He's not that bad; he's a soldier! What else was he supposed to do?"

Igori swung around, arms arrayed defensively as he looked for the speaker. The voice was Zial, no, Feihzi (assuming he understood right), yet no one was around. To that point, no one was down here with him. Well, except some small purple rat, but that didn't count.

Moving towards the stairs, Igori wondered why he heard the voice. With no one around, he should not have heard a soul. Heck, as much talent he had (such as it was) in mind-reading, he still couldn't hear THAT well.

"If he was so bad, why did he help me?"

Now Igori was positively confused. Apparently, he was in the middle of a conversation, but why was he hearing only one voice? This certainly was not like any link he had heard, no, wait. There was one, a trick he used to use with his mother before he left: supposedly, when two people linked their minds, anything they said, verbally or vocally, could be communicated between the two.

So, if this was the case, how was he able to do that? It was not like he and Feihzi had... Wait. Damn, what had she done? Had she linked his mind so deliberately, or was it a bi-product? And did it work both ways? He chuckled darkly; Nice trick, he thought to himself.

"You can hear me?"

Igori's eyes went wide, almost as wide as the look on Feihzi he suddenly saw with the latest message. So, it did work, and she had not realized it. Great. So what did he do now? Stay put, play tiddly-winks with the rat, and just wait for either Isaac and crew to get him or for the General to hunt him down. Or did he go up, face them, and determine if they wished to slay him or ally with him.

Given those choices, choice number two sounded MUCH, MUCH better.

"Hello?"

Igori moved up the stairs, trying to ignore the mental nudging of her inquiry. Whatever or however she had formed the link, it obviously was not potent enough to read each other's thoughts, but stable enough to carry silent messages.

"I hear you," a pause as he spoke softly, deciding to confirm his suspicions, "Glad you are OK, Feizhi."

What he heard after that was more like a soft yelp than anything, as though she was positively stunned that he knew that name. Which meant that it WAS her name, and now he had scared her. Great.

"I am not armed," he mumbled under his breath, hoping that she would not reveal his presence. "I just want to talk. Try to stall until I get there."

He heard nothing, but he felt a slight nudge, as though she acknowleged it. Whether or not this was genuine or not, he did not know, nor did he really care. Didn't he? Why did he care if she trusted him?

He rose up the stairs, suprised at the lack of guards yet again. This time, though, there was no servant to spring security on him, and, oddly, no guards at the end of the hall. There was some chatter coming from the wall to Igori's side, and he was not suprised to hear several familiar voices from within.

Sighing, he braced himself. (I'm coming to the door, Feihzi. I am not armed, I don't wish to fight) he thought to himself, pleased when he heard the voice through the wall as he heard it in his head: "Igori wants to talk."

What happened next was not what Igori (or Feihzi, from the mental screaming in his head) wanted: someone threw the door open, and Igori was barely able to shroud himself as Isaac and Felix turned the corner, their swords in hand and looking for him.

He tried to tune out Feihzi's pleas and the soft voice of Mia, both pleading the Venusians to disarm. Igori knew that if he dropped the cloak now, they would pounce him, probably trying to secure him before talking. Knowing that he wound not be able to keep the shroud up long enough to wait them out, he thought off a message to Feihzi: (I don't want to fight, I want to talk: warn them off!)

He heard Feihzi shout to them, and Igori nearly broke his shroud at the sight of her rounding the corner, only to be stunned as Jenna held her back. Apparently, this would not end well. With no choice, Igori fired another message to Feihzi:

(Tell them to disarm, or I will have to defend myself)

He watched her try to tell them, and was far from shocked when they choose to ignore her. Apparently, that illusion test had them just a bit worried about him. Just as he would, if their roles were reversed, he thought.

"You're not helping."

Igori blinked, Feihzi's reply catching him off guard. It was not much of a reflex, but it was enough to drop his shroud, and Igori barely had time to throw himself to the opposite wall to avoid Isaac's attempt to push him to the ground. Hands on the ground, Igori poured his energies into the ground, forcing the floor to give way, sending him flying to the cellar - again. (Just once I would LOVE to end up somewhere else!)

He never heard if Feihzi heard him or not, instead leaping off of the hulk of flooring as it fell, landing a short distance away. Not suprisingly, Isaac and Felix lept down after him. But to their dismay, Igori was already in motion. Before Isaac or Felix knew where he was, Igori had shot a surge of his psynergy at them, sending them sprawling. As they fell, he gripped their blades, throwing them across the room, nearly hitting Jenna and Feihzi as they came down the stairs.

Igori did not have the opportunity to check on the women; Felix and Isaac were rising, and Igori did not have many options now. Sure, he could wear them down, but even having been healed as much as he had, there was no way he was going to be able to outlast two Venusians AND a Martian. Venus Adepts, Jupitarians (with a notable exception), Mercurians, he could handle. But Martians... Igori had bested one Martian in his life, and THAT had been a miracle.

Igori braced himself for their attacks as a voice cut through the cellar. Not Feihzi's voice, no, everyone else seemed to hear it. And upon focusing on the words, Igori did as well, and felt all the blood drain from his face:

"Well, I was wondering what had happened to you, Igori. Decide to take a detour?"

Igori slowly turned around, staring at the two figures not ten feet behind him. The shorter of the two, a woman with purple hair, stood closer to the second figure. That person was cloaked in traveler's robes, but that face was indistinguishable:

The _General_.

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_**End of Chapter 8**_

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_**Yeeeah**. I hate having cliffie's thrown at me, and I can't say that I am thrilled with doing this to the readers, especially since I'm updating once or twice every two weeks. But hey, at least the plot is moving along! Maybe a filler or two in the near future (or more background for Igori, take it as you will), but for now, I hope this chapter makes people sit up and think a bit._

_And yes, thar be reason in them there menal links. That idea was an old one, but once I had the notion of "Zial" and Igori being mentally linked, I could not resist..._

_Anywho, hope you liked this chapter. Even if you hated it, please **review** so that I may know if anyone cares and/or likes this chap/story!_

**_Mikaa, Lord of the DS Propaganda_**


	9. A Shocking Suprise

**Golden** **Sun**: **_The Hunted _**

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Chapter 9 - _A Shocking Suprise _

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_**A/N** - (**Sigh**) And here I thought I was going to slap another filler together and just send it off... Oh well. Or maybe I will delay this one in favor of a filler so that I can drag this out._

_Or maybe I will thwart the impending demise of the author by giving you more of the current plot._

_In any event, **MIKAA DOES NOT OWN NINTENDO, MIKAA DOES NOT OWN GOLDEN SUN, AND MIKAA DOES NOT OWN CAMELOT. MIKAA DOES OWN THE WISH THAT "STAR TREK - TACTICAL SIMULATOR" FOR THE DS GETS HERE FAST. THAT, OR MARCH (AKA METROID PRIME HUNTERS). EITHER WAY, I WIN.**_

_Anyway, a little input from the author on the plot: In case we all forgot (myself included), be sure to read the chapter entitled "Oops, Indeed" again. Don't forget the Emperor, people; I haven't had the chance to slap him into the plot again as yet, but he will return soon... That, and make SURE you read the last few chapters recently, as the Igori/Feihzi connection leads to some more plot source._

_Oh, and side note - if anyone has any questions reguarding the "character" known as "Zial," it'll probably be a future chapter where I explain that. Feel free to draw on your own conclusions, though: I'd love to hear them._

_And now, to Chapter 9 of The Hunted: A Shocking Suprise. Here's three guesses as to what happens in this chapter. In fact, go right now, pull up the Review box, and print your guess as to the title's meaning: I'd love to see what people thought BEFORE reading this...;;_

_BACK TO ADVENTURE!_

_I sure wish I had a better quote than that Mario and Luigi DS one... Eh, to the fic.

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_

"Well, I was wondering what had happened to you, Igori. Decide to take a detour?"

Igori? Why did that name sound familiar?

Dismissing the stray thought for the moment, Sheba stared at the various bodies before her. Felix and Isaac were easily noticeable, not to mention notably shocked at the sight of them. Or of Alex. If they noticed her at all, they did not show it. A short ways off, there was Jenna and another woman, who looked like...Feihzi? What in Jupiter was SHE doing here?

Closest to them, though, was the figure that Alex called "Igori." WHY did that name sound familiar? He sure didn't LOOK familiar... If it was not for the damned supression band that Alex was making her wear, she might have been able to scan his mind to answer her curiosity.

Speaking of Alex, his sudden action of shoving her to the ground had suprised her, but the searing heat of a blast of fire made her realize just how reliant she had been on her abilities. Looking up, she saw Jenna almost charging at them, arms reaching out with fumes of flames lancing out just over her. What was she DOING?

Sheba tried to get up, but her efforts were met with futility, as some force she could not make out (probably Alex, but who knew? Not like she could see psynergy with the supression band on) held her down. Still, she was able to make out Alex's actions as he threw up a ward to shield himself from Jenna's efforts to attack him.

But _WHY_ was Jenna attacking him, anyway?

To her suprise, Felix charged Alex, apparently trying to draw his attention, whereas Isaac went for Jenna, trying (as far as Sheba could guess) stop Jenna's sudden rage.

All the while, Feihzi ducked part-way up the stair well while Igori stood his ground, not doing anything. And Sheba STILL had no clue why he was so familiar...

Isaac suddenly tackled Jenna, shocking everyone in addition to silencing her attacks. Alex seemed to notice this, as he turned his attention to Felix, who was (seemingly, to Sheba) charging an attack in one hand. He never had the chance, as Alex engulfed him in a massive sphere of water. Sheba's eyes went wide at this, immediately fearing for her one-time crush. She had seen such an attack used more than once before, but every time it was used, the person trapped in the water died - either from drowning or lack of air in the small space. She could only hope that Alex knew what he was doing.

Whether or not he did, some seemed to not wish to take the chance. Namely Igori. The (Venusian? Jupitarian? Sheba could not tell) rushed towards Alex, stopping to reach out with his arms. Soon, dozens of dozens of small little vines grew from some mold and moss on the floor of the basement, crawling towards Alex. The fact that he was a Venusian only made Sheba feel that she knew Igori from some pl-

Then it hit her - Igori was the soldier she had attacked to cover her escape from inside the Tolbibi Empire during an intelligence raid. She blinked in shock; he had _SURVIVED_ _THAT_! And without a scratch!

The Venusian's efforts met to no avail, as Alex had some kind of ward (probably the one he was using to shield himself from Jenna) to defend himself. To no surprise, Jenna and Isaac were staying out of it, apparently in shock over what was happening to Felix.

Who, if Alex did not release him soon enough, would die.

"Let him go!"

The look of shock in Alex's eyes were nothing short of horrific. For whatever reason, Alex seemed positively peeved that the man (a subordinate, no less) was telling him to do something. While nothing suprising, there seemed to be more to that glare than was present. Sheba again wished she didn't have the supression thing on.

"_LET HIM GO_!"

Oh, Alex released him, alright. But he dropped Felix with a thud, and turned to face Igori. "And you question my actions, attack me, and expect me to listen to you? Just who the _frak_ do you think you are?" Rage was in that voice, rage that Sheba had never heard from Alex. Ever. "I save your life many times over, and you go and attack me!"

Sheba swore silently; Igori and Alex had an apparent history, and with the rush that intense combat offered, no one was thinking clearly. Which meant that someone would probably die in a minute. Great.

"General, you nearly KILLED him."

"And you are an expert on that? Since when did you ever give a flying whip about anyone else?"

The sheer look of hate in Igori's eyes almost made Sheba want to cry. It was not rage, it was not anger; it was pure HATE. Whether he knew it or not, Alex had said something to really, REALLY, piss Igori off. And from the look of things, Alex didn't care, probably expecting Igori to fall back due to some past debt.

Needless to say, when Igori attacked Alex again, everyone was shocked. Especially since Igori's attack consisted of a series of ELECTRIC BOLTS. Nevermind the supposed Elemental alignments, Igori somehow attacked Alex with a barrage of lightning, with such an intensity that even Sheba would have had a hell of a time trying to stop it. Heck, she doubted she could even come close to matching it.

Alex, it seemed, was apparently thinking the same, if the way his face read was right. His armor, which normally shielded himself from such attacks, practically exploded, sending Alex flying back while the lightning attacked his body. Sheba wanted to scream, wanted to shout for Igori to stop, never once wondering why she cared (Alex was, after all, the General _AND_ her captor).

But, to everyone's shock, Igori stopped, his attack ending seconds after Alex hit the ground, his body a bloody mess from his armor, his skin and clothes reeking of charring. Felix was out to existance, Jenna and Isaac just stared, and Igori simply panted, as one often did after a bout of rage.

And, to Sheba's puzzlement, there was Feihzi. Never having gone into the fight, she was kneeling on the stairs, her body against the wall. And she was crying.

Just as Igori was.

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**End of Chapter 9**

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_Yeah. Wow. OK, I SO want to hear feedback on this one. Heck, I'll take any and all comments on this; Just a wittle too much fun on my hands, heh._

_Anyway, expect a few fillers at some point to explain some of the things here (I'll let you guess at which open questions I mean), and I will hopefully update at SOME point soon. If you wonder why I have updated so much recently, it is because I a) was at the PC while I had a bout of inspiration, b) had thought the battle out prior to the last chapter, and c) couldn't resist._

_Anyway._

_Review, please, so that I may know if you enjoyed this. Again, any and all feedback is welcomed, as the Mikaa thrives on detailed reviews. ;;_

_**Mikaa**, Hunter of Metroids_


	10. The Dark Side of the Mind

**Golden Sun**: **_The Hunted

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_**Chapter 10 - _The Dark Side of the Mind

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_

_**A/N** - Well, yee haw. I've gone back into a phase where I use annoying wise-cracks for titles. Oh well. Could be worse! Could be raining!_

_(waits to see if it rains, does not)_

_Rats. Ah well, such is the life of the Mikaa, after all..._

_Speaking of which! I have to say, thanks many times to my Writing Class for having such an easy assignment! Now I have time to write the odd chapter or two for this thing! Chi!_

_So! Chapter 10! Who'd've thunk it, eh? Anyway, as we all know, Igori went a bit nuts last time (is it too mild to describe someone who attacks, fries, and nearly kills someone NUTS?), and I left an obvious hint of some kind of link between Feihzi and Igori at the end. Did Sheba note it? Who knows, but you have to admit, she'll probably NOT tell them who she is, for fear of Igori finding out. Hell, I wouldn't want to piss him off after THAT... What have I unleashed..._

_Anyway, the Dark Side of the Mind, AKA Chapter 10 of the Hunted, follows this for your enjoyment: **MIKAA DOES NOT, I REPEAT FOR THE ONE BILLION, FOUR HUNDRED SIXTY-TWO MILLION, NINE HUNDRED TWENTY-SIX THOUSAND, EIGHT HUNDRED, SEVENTY-SEVENTH TIME, DOES NOT OWN NINTENDO, GOLDEN SUN, OR CAMELOT.**_

_And now, to the darker parts of the mind. Or just to this chapter. Whatever makes you feel better._

_Enjoy.

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_

Feihzi cringed as she climed the stairs to the upper levels of the Kalay palace. Merely an hour ago, the basement almost became a crypt, a house of the dead. After what seemed like years, Igori simply left, going somewhere else in the building. Mia had finally caught up with everyone, trying to heal the General after checking her husband. All the while, Isaac tried to figure out why Jenna had gone off like she did. The General's aid (or whoever she was) had simply sat by his bed, never once speaking to anyone.

No one talked about what Igori had done.

It was understandable; half of what happened went by too fast, and some were unaware of what happened (namely Felix). Yet, Feihzi could not let it slip away. She had to know, had to know why his mind screamed out at that moment, why his mind was so full of sudden hate. Why that voice rang in her head.

Why some voice yelled "YOU KILLED HIM!" at the top of its (her?) lungs.

Nevermind the General's sudden entrance, or Jenna and Igori's attacks against him. As far as Feihzi knew, the only reason Jenna would go that crazy over someone was if they had commited some horrid wrong against her. And while Feihzi would never pretend to know Igori (despite the mental link), she had to say that it was shocking (pun NOT intended) to see him attack the General. What made it all the more curious (to her), was that there was always a sense of loyalty, of friendship between the two of them. Even when she met the General for only a brief moment to recieve orders under the guise of "Zial," she sensed something between him and Igori (even if the Venusian looked like an old rag - literally).

But as their taunting each other increased, something just felt wrong about Igori. Feizhi was not able to sense what it was, but then, hearing those haunting words kind of killed any wish to find out.

She was far from shocked when Igori had simply walked past her out of the basement, tears in his eyes. She was, though, suprised that she herself was crying. It was not the words, whatever meaning they might have had. No, the significance was that she didn't need to hear his mind to note the hate in him. Though it vanished after that brief yet eternal attack, the pressure of his hate, the sheer pressure being slapped onto her. No one but an aware Jupitarian would have caught such a sign, and Feihzi caught it in droves.

But what shocked her more than anything, more than the General's sudden apperance or Igori's lightning attack, was that she was walking up the stairs to find Igori himself.

By all rights, she should not have cared what was going through his mind. Yes, she felt sorry for whatever had caused that massive rage, but Jupiter! She knew he was not a bad sort, that much she determined when she first met the man, then ravaged from a Jupitarian and about as likely to trust her if she was Sheba herself. Yet, Feihzi could not shake her pity, the sadness she felt for the man.

The fact that she had not heard a word from him since that outburst only made her worry more.

She topped the stairs, moving to the first open door in the hall. She knew he would probably never want to talk to her if she revealed her motives for sneaking into the Empire, and that thought somehow ate at her. She didn't agree with the Empire's practices, especially after that nasty incident at the Tolbi Lighthouse. But Elements! what was with her? Was she falling for this man, one who believed in that which he served, who had tried to kill her? She dismissed the thought, but knew her efforts were wasted; there was something between them, whether or not she acknowleged it.

Entering the room, she saw Igori sitting on a bed, staring out a window. The weather in Kalay had been most favorable of late, what with a blue sky, the odd cloud, and verdent fields of grass between the sandy buildings. The beauty of the land was a stark comparison to the room Igori had holed up in. By whatever turn of luck, the room he had choosen was dark and dreary, the only source of light from the window, and even that did little to give the room a feeling of warmth that the rest of Kalay had.

Slowly entering as quietly as possible, lest she disturb him, Feihzi slipped in, moving to the side of the bed. Igori made no move to face her, no move to acknowlege her. He simply stared out the window, his mind elsewhere.

She opened her mouth to speak, then thought the better of it. It would probably be easier, she reasoned, to try to talk to him through whatever link they had. Yes, it might upset him more to remind him that she had a good chance of hearing what went through his mind a second ago, but it beat out having the risk of someone else hearing them talk.

(Igori?)

She stared at him, sadness filling her being as he failed to recognize her presence. Just what had gone through his head that she did not catch, that would cause him to not acknowlege her? Was she nothing to him? Would he react this way if someone else came in?

(Igori?) Another pause, another ignore. (Igori, please. I want to help you.)

He made not moves, but she almost swore she heard him crying. Not physically, but mentally, as though he was in despair, and was letting his feelings flow freely. Feihzi sat next to him, placing a hand on his back, gently stroking him. He flinched - not much, but enough to show that he was willing to let her stay.

(Igori, talk to me.)

Slowly, painfully slowly, he turned to her, his eyes devoid of any real feelings or emotions. To her suprise, he placed one of his hands on her free hand, clasping it in a soft hold.

Though he did not say anything, she sensed what he was suggesting: (Are you sure?) A nod. Closing her eyes, Feihzi tapped into her mind, her thoughts flowing into his, his into hers. If he wanted her to read his mind, she was going to go all-out. She had to get him to trust her, to let him know he could confide in her; in someone. And to do this, she was merging their thoughts. Not an easy task, one that could do more harm than good for the unskilled, but then, Feizhi had one of the best teachers.

She poured through his thoughts, trying to find anything, any sign of what went through his head in the heat of battle. She found the odd thought here or there, some of which made her blush (such as his sudden appearance in the hall being a reaction to her). But as she looked, there was no sign, no trace of anything that contained such powerful thoughts as they felt and heard.

Then it hit. There was a patch of memories in his mind, buried deep beneath the surface. At first Feihzi did not notice them, thinking they were just fragments. But looking closer, realization kicked in; someone had gone to quite a bit of trouble to place a thin layer of memory in his mind, one that he (apparently) had no idea of, and one that was reeking of knowlege.

Quite literally. There were wards on it, the likes of which Feihzi had rarely encountered. Breaking them was far from hard, but what she found next was shocking. Her mind saw a woman, tall and tin, with fairly long blonde hair. And for whatever reason, the woman had more than a passing resemblence to that girl that was with the General. Or maybe Feizhi was reading too much into things.

"Who are you?"

Feihzi nearly gasped: the voice sounded audible, yet was actually just in both hers and Igori's minds. Dismissing it, she pressed on for information, trying to ignore the inquiring image. It did not go away.

"Who are you, that is so close to my Igori?"

Her Igori? Was this his mom? A lover? A sister? Who was this person, and how had she put up such an intricate mesh of memories? Not paying the image any heed, she pressed on.

"You cannot interfear, my child. Igori is destined for greatness, and you would only serve to destroy this."

Destroy what? His destiny? Just who was this woman, that she made such claims?

"Begone, child. You must be powerful to have triggered this illusion, but however strong you are, you are nothing to me or Igori. He must be allowed to complete his destiny."

Nothing to Igori? Did the illusion read her mind, know what she thougt? Or was it just a lucky guess?

"You cannot stop him. Fate has handed him his father's killer, and with that bastard's death, he will complete his destiny. YOU CANNOT STOP FATE, CHILD. GO AWAY."

Feihzi screamed, not mentally, but audibily. The illusion actually ATTACKED her, forcing her from Igori's mind, and for a minute Feihzi thought the image would invade her own mind. When reality folded back to normal, she stared at Igori, his eyes suddenly aware, looking her over to ensure she was ok.

But she was not ok. The illusion's voice was ringing in her head, repeating over and over and over. It was hours before Feihzi was able to focus enough to take note of her surroundings. And after she did, she was more than willing to let Igori continue to hold her, afraid that if he let go, the illusion would return...

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_**End Chapter 10**_

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_Wow. Plot thickens, eh? Anyway, I would love to chew the fat and speak my mind on this chapter, but alas, if I am to get this up now, I would have to stop now. Oh well._

_Anyway, hope well that I get a few more chapters up before the twenty-first, as I will be too busy playing Metroid Prime: Hunters to focus on even Animal Crossing...;_

_**Mikaa, Hunter of Metroids**_


End file.
